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Sizhe’s Status Report for 4/27

This week, we have worked out the PCB and have found the design is flawed. Thus, I have redesigned the PCB and placed the order. Furthermore, I’ve dedicated time to clean up the interface code with Arduino to prep for the final build out next week in case we need to modify it further.

In term of schedule, we are on track as we will be finished with integration and build out by next week.

By next week, we will hopefully have a successful final product that can register go pieces correctly and the gantry system should also work accordingly.

 

 

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Sizhe’s Status Report for 4/20

Over the past two weeks, my focus has primarily been on developing a hall effect sensor matrix. After finalizing its dimensions, I completed the PCB design and have spent the past two weeks assembling it. The soldering process has proved more time-consuming than anticipated, particularly due to the challenge of soldering the small hall effect sensor components onto the PCB. Shuailin and I aim to complete most of the assembly by the end of today. Additionally, I’ve dedicated time to coding the interface between the hall effect sensor matrix and multiplexer, rather than addressing individual sensors separately.

In terms of our schedule, we find ourselves slightly behind, having entered the slack weeks. Nonetheless, we’ve made significant progress, having completed all individual components of the project, with assembly scheduled for tomorrow. The primary concern at this stage is integration.

By tomorrow’s end, I anticipate having a functional prototype ready for demonstration at the final presentation next week. Subsequently, we’ll focus on refining the entire system to ensure seamless operation ahead of the final demo during the following week.

 

As you’ve designed, implemented and debugged your project, what new tools or new knowledge did you find it necessary to learn to be able to accomplish these tasks? What learning strategies did you use to acquire this new knowledge?

Throughout the process, I’ve discovered that PCB design proves crucial for customized projects. A well-executed PCB not only reduces complexity but also enhances overall aesthetics. Additionally,  documentation and adept project management plays an important role.

I mainly relied on online videos for source of new knowledge and I have found learning by doing is immensely helpful. Purely learning by listening or watching simply wont do the trick as one can quickly forget afterward. However, practical experience and making mistakes help us grow faster.

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Team Status Report for 04/06

Our most significant risk is the design of PCB because the still do not have a physical product that we can test on yet.

Design wise, we figured out the viability of the current design through the interim demo. No re-designing need to be made at this point.

Schedule wise,  we caught up with the progress yet we still need to finalize the design of the circuity component. We currently don’t have any change of plan.

Next week, we will start working towards the final polished product

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Sizhe’s Status Report for 4/06

This week, I was mainly working on fine tuning the code that communicates between a python web app and a python program that interfaces arduino. The team and I successfully made the player move to actually control the remote gantry system and the python program can successfully detect the sensor rising edge and place a piece on the web app board.

After weeks, we finally catch up with almost everything. The only thing that puts us at risk is the customized PCB as I just figured out the exact dimension this week but don’t have time to make adjustments to the original design yet.

By the end of next week, I hope that I can finalize with PCB and place the order by next Thursday. Meanwhile, I will continue to work on the communication code to generalize for the 9 by 9 matrix of sensors. The team and I will also look into laser cutting and assembling components for the final product.

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Sizhe Chen’s Status Report for 3/30

This week, I mainly work on building out the gantry system and figuring out the control from python to Arduino and finally to the motor driver. I was able to directly control the gantry system from PC.

My progress is somewhat still behind schedule. As we are still trying to catch up the time lost on building the mag lev device, we have made significant progress for the last few weeks by building out individual components of our system.

We hope, by next week, we can have roughly the whole system build out with chassis. As the interim demo is on Monday, I will work with Shuailin on Monday to finish what need to be done for demo. We will further refine the system and hopefully have a rough product by next week.

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Sizhe Chen’s Status Report for 3/23

This week, I mainly contribute the projects by helping Shuailin with circuit testing/realization testing with existing board as well as assembling go pieces. I also further modified my PCB file after seeing similar projects online. Yet I still cannot finalize the PCB design due to the lack of progress on the gantry system. However, I came up with a back up plan using custom PCB board which is less optimal but should work if PCB has major design issues.

Schedule wise, we am still behind as we have not yet integrate with our gantry system yet but we have finished all other small aspects of the projects. We are confident that we can accomplish much by next week.

 

 

 

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Team Status Report for 03/16

Our most significant risk is the still the PCB component that we decided to add to our system. Moreover, we have to postpone the building of xy motor system because Zipiao was not able to return to US this week.

We currently do not have any design change and we had a deeper understanding of our project by diving into the individual components and assembling them.

Schedule wise, as Zipiao was unable to return in time, we assigned Zipiao to do the webapp first during last week. And Sizhe and Shuailin was able to finish certifying that there are no interference problem between locking and detection system.

Next week, since Zipiao is likely coming back, we will mainly focus on integration with the gantry system and decide on the actual dimension of the outer housing.

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Sizhe’s Status Report for 3/16

This week, my main focus was on completing the design of the PCB. On Monday, I fully tested out the new analog hall effect sensor and tested out the voltage different resulted from different magnet size. I also worked on the ethic assignment and finished designing the PCB. However, I have not yet placed the order since the team want to make sure the dimension actually match the x-y motor system so we plan to place the order after completing that part of project.

Our progress is still behind as Zipiao was unable to return to US in time due to some unexpected issue. However, we have made significant progress and we will continue working this week to catch up.

Looking forward, we anticipate that we will finish x-y motor system as a team and begin to do some basic integration with the Arduino so we can move the go pieces by next week

 

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Team Status Report for 03/09

Our most significant risk is the new PCB component that we decided to add to our system to better fit the go board setting and avoid interference with the electro magnet. Since this is a new component and our team has little prior experience with PCB design and fabrication, we face the challenge of ensuring its compatibility with our existing system architecture and meeting our performance standards.

To mitigate the risk associated with the new PCB component, we have tasked Sizhe with learning AutoDesk. Moreover, we are researching online and have taken inspiration from successful PCB designs in similar projects.

For changes in the design, we decide to use permanent magnets as the locking mechanism instead of electromagnets due to budget constraint and circuit ( PCB) complexity. There is no major change to our plan in other areas. Looking forward, we are also actively building the x-y motor system. We hope that we will be able to control the x-y motor system by the end of next week.

Schedule wise, we plan to first implement software web app first in case the team cannot physically meetup for integration. Moreover, we need to catch up with things that were postponed due to the time costed on magnetic lavation device.

———————————EXTRA———————————

A was written by Sizhe Chen,  B was written by Shuailin Pan and C was written by Zipiao Wan.

Part A:

One key aspect of our solution is accessibility. We recognize that not all users may be technologically savvy or have access to high-speed internet connections. Therefore, our product will prioritize the ease of use, ensuring that individuals from diverse backgrounds can easily engage and have fun with it. Moreover, different users around the world might have different experience with go-like game. Those with an Eastern background may be more familiar with Go, while others may have more experience with traditional chess. Our product needs to consider these factors and provide varying levels of assistance accordingly.

Part B:

The automated networked Gomoku game board we’re developing will not only promote Asian culture but also unite different cultures around the globe. By using eye-catching technology, our solution offers a friendly, engaging, and accessible experience, which is able to transcends the language barrier and introduce Asian culture to players worldwide. Moreover, with the networking capability, our game board is able to connect and unite players who enjoy Gomoku from all around the world no matter the country or culture they are from. Through this innovative approach, our product aims to not only popularize Gomoku but also celebrate cultural diversity.

Part C:

For our prototype and product, we are using plywood as the chassis for the board and the shell for the go pieces. Since plywood is durable, and with correct oil sealing treatment: pretty long-lasting, we can ensure the longevity of our product to reduce unnecessary waste. Moreover, since plywood is a renewable material unlike plastic, we can minimize our products environmental impact.  However, the heavy usage of magnets and circuitry will likely encourage rare earth metal excavation and contributes to waste and pollution.

 

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Sizhe Chen’s Status Report for 3/9

This week, my main focus was on completing the design document, which was due before Spring break, as we finalized the design of our system. Additionally, I successfully tested individual hall effect sensor circuits on a breadboard with an Arduino and began designing the PCB components. The hall effect sensor performed as expected, registering a higher voltage in the presence of a magnet. After the break, I plan to discuss with team members the precise threshold for distinguishing between black and white game pieces.

Our progress is slightly behind schedule due to the time spent testing the magnetic levitation device, but we are actively working to catch up as we finalized the change to the system after making the decision to switch to electro magnet.

Looking forward, I anticipate completing the PCB component design and placing the order by next week. Simultaneously, I will assist Cheiv in completing the construction of the x-y motor system and aim to have it operational with the arrival of the CNC shield by next week.